Burning Rubber
by SilverGhostKitsune
Summary: Kaiba Corp. needed a new hit. Finding one, thanks to his little brother, Seto Kaiba sets out to the racetrack for some help. He finds it in the most unexpected way... see full summary inside...
1. The Race

Burning Rubber by SilverGhostKitsune

Dis: I own all of Yu-Gi-Oh! It's mine, all mine! Buwahahahaha! Gets knocked out by a group of white-coated people "She's crazy, don't listen to her." SGK wakes up in a straightjacket upon being injected with sedative. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh...sadly...If I did, I would make Seto and Anzu hook up...or maybe I would just keep him all to myself! Anywho...on with the fic!

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"_Announcer/Person on other end of the phone/handwriting_"

Summary: Kaiba Corp. needed a new hit. Finding one, thanks to his little brother, Seto Kaiba sets out to the racetrack for some help. He finds it in the most unexpected way... On top of that, Anzu is working with him as well, due to her knowledge of what is popular for girls. Things are not always as they seem. KaibaxOC AnzuxOC.

Chapter 1: The Race

"_And here comes the Black Knight around the second to last turn and...Oh! There goes Sean from the Kawasaki team! If the Knight wants to win, they'll have to hurry up._" (AN: I also don't own Kawasaki or any other racing team, unless I make it up...which is gonna be 99.9 percent of the time. I know next to nothing about motorcycles or how they work...Oh, keep in mind; these are the racing motorcycles, not the low rider ones. If, like me, you don't know motorcycles, I have a photo of what I'm talking about here, just remove the spaces: http /i52. photobucket. com/ albums/ g19/ Silverghostkitsune /crap/ducati. jpg)

Everyone was on the edge of their seats watching the motorcyclists race neck and neck to the finish line. Around the last turn, the rider in the red, black and white jumpsuit started falling behind the one in all black. The red rider was riding a green bike while the black one was riding a black and dark purple bike. The person in black passed the person in red and flew over the finish line, earning loud cheers from the crowd in the stands.

"_The Black Knight takes the checker and the win! That makes 46 consecutive wins for this mysterious rider._" As the crowd cheered, all the racers began filing off the track and started loading their bikes into their distinct trailer trucks. The 'Black Knight' loaded their bike into the black trailer at the far end of the parking lot. The trailer was decorated with purple lightning, exactly like the bike it housed. As soon as the bike was secure, the black knight stepped out of the trailer and headed towards the passenger's side of the vehicle. A man stood with the door open, like he had been waiting. The man wore a crisp, white shirt that was unbuttoned enough to reveal a firm chest. He also wore jeans that suited him perfectly.

"Hello BK...enjoy the race?" The rider nodded. "Glad to hear it. I was worried that you were growing sick of racing." A muffled laugh came from the still helmeted rider.

"No...I don't think I am sick of it just yet..." The helmet muffled the voice so it was impossible to tell the gender of the rider. Plus, the baggy jumpsuit did well to hide the figure. "Don't worry Kyo, I am fine." The man nodded and closed the door as the rider hopped into the trailer truck.

As the truck drove out of the parking lot, the man named Kyo glanced over at the still helmeted person beside him and laughed. The person turned towards him and sighed.

"What?"

"Are you ever going to take off your helmet?"

"No, not till we get home and out of public" the figure said, shaking their head.

"You know, you will eventually have to tell the truth and reveal your identity, A..."

"Not now, Kyo. I will reveal it when I retire" the figure interrupted the man next to them. With the windows down, the man's light blue hair was tossed around in the wind, making it into a bird's nest.

"Suit yourself, but you're missing out on a good breeze." The argument continued.

--------------------

"Wow! Seto, look at that one! They just won their 46th consecutive race!" A little boy with raven colored hair was bouncing out of his seat on the couch, pointing to the television that was broadcasting the motorcycle race in Kyoto. The camera gave a close up of the mysterious Black Knight as they crossed the finish line. A tall brunette boy, who appeared to be 18, walked into the giant living room and glanced at the TV. He looked at the younger boy and sighed.

"Mokuba, I am trying to come up with a game that will attract more consumers. Duel Monsters has become less popular than it used to be and I need a new game." The boy turned and gave his brother an I-have-an-idea-that's-so-obvious-why-can't-you-see-it look.

"But Big Brother, just look at the crowd! Plus, the American racing games are popular over here! Why not make a motorcycle racing one!" The little boy was bouncing in his seat again.

"...You know something Mokuba? That is actually a very smart idea!" The boy, now identified as Mokuba, smiled.

"Of course it is. I am, after all, your brother!" The older boy frowned deeply.

"One problem...How am I supposed to design a game off a sport I know next to nothing about?" Mokuba stopped bouncing and thought for a moment before replying simply.

"Why don't we ask the Black Knight? They're coming here in a few weeks on the 18th of July. We could go meet up with them and watch the race afterwards."

"I'm beginning to get the feeling you set this up just so you could go to the race..." The little boy put on his innocent face.

"What ever do you mean?"

"Don't even think about playing innocent with me...You have been talking about this newfound hobby of yours since May and have been going on about this race since the beginning of June." He looked down at his brother on the couch.

"Well, can we go?" Seto sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Looks like we have no other alternative."

"Yes!" The little Kaiba began jumping up and down.

--------------------

"Yo...BK, we have a request for your presence before the race." Kyo stood, holding a sheet of paper in his hand as he walked under the tent that the Black Knight was sitting under, waiting for the race to begin. The rider looked up at the casually dressed man and glared through their helmet. Kyo was wearing khaki cargo shorts and a short sleeved black t-shirt that had the team insignia, curling handwriting that read Hasegawa Racing on it and was underlined by a streak of lightning. The color of the emblem was silverish blue, matching Kyo's hair. (AN: I made up Hasegawa on my own, so if there is a real one out there by chance, sorry I borrowed your name.)

"Honestly, it is too hot to be wearing these damnable jumpsuits. I almost look forward to my announcement. What does the letter say?" Kyo fixed the rider with a raised eyebrow.

"What announcement?"

"I thought I told you!...I am announcing my retirement today, along with my unmasking."

"What?"

"The schedule has gotten a little too hectic, so I'm taking a break. Don't worry, I'll race in the smaller races after maybe a year's leave." Mumbling to themselves, they added: "Besides, that's all I'll be able to race in after I reveal who I really am."

"Um...are you sure about this?"

"Yes, now hand over the letter!" Kyo handed the figure the letter and waited.

_Dear Black Knight,_

_I wish to talk to you in person over a certain issue of mine. I won't include the details in the letter, but it is a rather pressing matter that I really must discuss with you. Meet me before the race at the North Gate. Thank you and good day._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Seto Kaiba_

The rider reread the letter several times over, trying to see if it was a joke. However, the scrawling cursive did not reveal anything more. They glanced up at the clock that was on the back wall of their trailer. '11:00 am, I've got an hour before the race begins...Why not!' Standing up, the rider addressed the man in front of them.

"Kyo, I am off to my meeting. Watch the bike please! Bye!" Kyo shook his head as the rider ran off.

--------------------

"Where are they?" Seto stood in the shade of the back of the stands. Mokuba sat on the railing next to his brother. Seto was wearing black jeans and a white shirt that was slightly unbuttoned. Mokuba was wearing green cargo shorts and a black t-shirt with the words 'I didn't do it' in white across the front. Both were wearing their trademark necklaces with the other's photo inside the card/charm.

"Who knows? Maybe the Black Knight had a breakdown and is fixing it! Or, they could have gotten stuck in traffic, or..." Seto held up his hand.

"Enough, I get it." As soon as he finished, he heard the distinct sound of boots walking on the platform. He looked up from his watch and saw a person in a solid black jumpsuit with the Hasegawa team logo on the left, above their heart. The suit was decorated with different parts companies and such, but what caught his eye was the helmet. It was black with dark purple swirls, like marble. Light purple lightning streaked across it.

"Wooowww...you're the Black Knight!" Mokuba jumped off the railing and greeted the cyclist with a stunned look and a handshake. "Can I get an autograph!" The knight laughed and nodded.

"Of course you can, though, I should be asking you the same Mr. Kaiba." The rider bowed lightly, showing respect. Kaiba did the same, only just with his head.

"I like seeing the person who I am talking to's face...if you don't mind."

"If you wish to see my face, you will have to wait until I give my speech. I have not shown anyone my face since I started racing. Only my family and I know my true identity."

"Ok, then on to business."

"Yes...there you go." Mokuba grinned widely at the rider and scurried back to his brother's side.

"As you probably know, I am the CEO of Kaiba corp. and was in charge of duel monsters' technology." The rider nodded. "Over the past few months, however, duel monsters has decreased in popularity and I am forced to come up with a new game. My brother mentioned how popular the racing games have now become and gave me the idea to create a motorcycle racing game. Then a new problem arose. How do I make a game off of something I know little to nothing about. Once again, my brother had a great idea. He said why not talk to you. You have won almost all..." the rider coughed.

"I have won all of my races...at least, the professional ones. I lost my first amateur race due to disqualification and foul play."

"Fine, all of your races and would be a great help to this project. Will you work with us?" the rider thought for a moment, baiting the hook, for they already knew their answer.

"Yes Mr. Kaiba, I would be more than happy to assist you. I will meet you at the end of the race at my trailer. It is the last one on Row 18. Try not to be late." With that, the rider walked off, heading towards the riders' entrance into the stadium.

--------------------

All of the riders scheduled for the noon race were sitting on their bikes at the starting line, awaiting the signal to start. A loud buzzard of a bell rang out across the stadium and the riders tensed up.

"_Racers, on your mark...set...GO!_" A loud bell accompanied the word 'go' and the riders took off. As a pack, they headed towards the first turn, some slipping into the front as they went through the turn itself. The Black Knight wound their way through the group and headed to the next set of turns.

"_And there they go folks! The Black Knight is once again the leader of the race! Oh...but they better hurry...Looks like Takashi is gaining on them!_" The crowd was on the edge of their seats as all the riders had to lean close to the ground as they entered the third turn.

"Seto, look at the Black Knight go!" Kaiba had trained his eyes for detail, but even he had trouble with how fast the race was going by. He watched as the racers dipped into the fifth turn, legs mere inches from the asphalt.

The one called Takashi was steadily gaining on the Black Knight. By the time the two lead dogs exited the turn, they were practically neck and neck. However, when the two reached the straight-away that led to the sixth and final turn, the Black Knight pulled a small wheelie and gained enough momentum to launch themself several feet ahead. Winding around the corner, they slid over the finish line and the crowd roared wildly.

"_Oh my folks! That was an amazing move! Looks like another win for the Black Knight. But, don't start leaving just yet...The Knight wishes to make a speech._" The crowd grew relatively quiet as the racers all came to a stop. The Knight drove to a large stage, set up for the winners. 'Man, the last time I was on one of these was for my first win.' After they parked their bikes, the top three riders walked on stage, all with their helmets off, other than the Black Knight. Each of the riders were presented with an award and made a small speech. As the mysterious rider got their award, they walked to the podium.

"Hi, I suppose you all are surprised to see me up here today, huh?" The crowd cheered, agreeing. "Well, this was my last race..." A loud gasp ran through the crowd. "...I have raced for quite some time and I am happy to stand here today and retire as a professional racer. Since I am leaving, I figured that I might as well show you all my face." The crowd began to cheer and shout like no tomorrow as the rider reached up and began to remove their helmet. 'Here goes nothing...I hope they're not gonna get too upset.'

The two other racers were shocked. Never had anyone seen this rider's face and now, after well over three years, they finally get to see the famous Black Knight with nothing obscuring the view. 'I wonder if he's ugly.' 'I bet there are some nasty scars.' Those were the thoughts on most of the people's minds. The helmet seemed to move in slow motion as the rider took it off, revealing...

--------------------

BUWAHAHAHAHA! I am so evil! Yes, yes, I know. Anywho, PLZ Read and Review, or else I won't post the next chappie! Okies...

I hope I didn't make the gender too obvious. I tried to make it so that not even I could tell how it would end up, which is sorta what happened. sweat drops lol I came up with this fic after watching G4 game channel. Hope you enjoyed the fic...NO FLAMES WHATSOEVER! Flamers will eat asphalt!


	2. Author's Note

**Author's note!**

I am SO SORRY!!! To all my fans, new and old, please bear with me. I know I haven't updated on any of my fics for more than 3 months, and there are several reasons and causes to explain.

**1.** Every time I go to write another chapter or continue to work on one, I get a new idea for a completely new fic entirely.

**2.** Every time I go to write another chapter or continue to work on one, there is no inspiration to continue.

**3.** I have recently found that the guy I like might possibly like me back and it has pretty much put me off my fantastic fic-writing mood.

**4.** My mom has been on this new forum and won't let me get on the computer what so ever. In fact, she and I got into a huge argument over letting me on the computer to do HOMEWORK! Hello, last time I checked, homework is supposed to be more important than her forum.

**5.** I have also been out of town on a few occasions, mainly because my Great-Grandmother is getting up there in age and is becoming quite frail.

And lastly...

**6.** I finally got a social life instead of being a homebody. (Not to say other authors don't have one, but my mom gets home at about 6 pm and she doesn't know about fanfiction because I know she wouldn't approve of it no matter what I did to insure it is in fact a safe site!) My friends have been happy with me getting out of the house more, but it seriously lessens the amount of time I can spend on fanfics.

I hope all of you can forgive me for not updating in so long. I am hoping to get my writing mood back and look forward to that day. And please note; **THIS IS NOT A STRING OF EXCUSES, BUT RATHER A LIST OF TRUE REASONS WHY I HAVE BEEN MIA!**


	3. Too Much Info, Or Not Enough?

Burning Rubber by SilverGhostKitsune

Dis: I own all of Yu-Gi-Oh! It's mine, all mine! Buwahahahaha!!!! Gets knocked out by a group of white-coated people "She's crazy, don't listen to her." SGK wakes up in a straightjacket upon being injected with sedative. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh...sadly...If I did, I would make Seto and Anzu hook up...or maybe I would just keep him all to myself!!! Anywho...on with the fic!!!

**To: sigh ; Here is the next chappie just for you, since you were the first to respond back. I'm really sorry I got your hopes up like that. Oh, and I had to finish it a little early, so sorry for it being so short!**

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"_Announcer/Person on other end of the phone/handwriting_"

Summary: Kaiba Corp. needed a new hit. Finding one, thanks to his little brother, Seto Kaiba sets out to the racetrack for some help. He finds it in the most unexpected way... On top of that, Anzu is working with him as well, due to her knowledge of what is popular for girls. Things are not always as they seem. KaibaxOC AnzuxOC.

Chapter 2: Too Much Info or Not Enough?

Last time: _The helmet seemed to move in slow motion as the rider took it off, revealing..._

--------------------

Long hair, that was so black it looked almost blue, floated out of the helmet in waves. Acid green bangs framed a pale face and piercing silver-blue eyes gazed out at a speechless crowd. The hair was stick-straight and made the racer's features sharper looking. Pink lips curled into a coy smile.

"My name is Asuka Hasegawa and I am the Black Knight" a light female voice rang out over the crowd. All eyes were on the female racer. She slowly walked off stage and headed towards her bike before a noise stopped her. Turning to the stage, she saw Takashi clapping. She watched as he stepped up to the microphone, his brown hair shining in the sun.

"Well...I think we can all say that was shocking. Let's give it up for probably the only female ever to race professionally and win 47 consecutive races in the sport of Motorcycle racing." Everyone in the crowd slowly stood to their feet and began cheering. Asuka's smile brightened, showing off brilliant white teeth.

--------------------

Mokuba stood mouth agape and completely shell-shocked. Next to him, the eldest Kaiba stood, eyes frozen into ice chips. Anyone could see he was angry beyond all doubt. He turned towards his brother and snarled out "Mokuba, you failed to mention she was a girl!!! I refuse to work with another female on this project! I have enough trouble with Ms. Mazaki." Mokuba turned wide eyes to his brother.

"She's never shown her face before though! How was I supposed to know?" Seto turned away from his brother and headed towards the exit.

"Come on, let's get this over with." Mokuba scurried after his brother.

--------------------

Asuka stood next to her bike, now dressed in a dark grey tank top that had her team's silver logo in the upper left and a pair of denim capris that went to a little below the knee. On her feet were some light blue low top chucks with sparkling white laces. (AN: Converses for those of you who might not know what chucks are.) Five people stood around her, cameras flashing. One was a brunette female, another was a blonde female. Two were black haired men and the last one was, oddly enough, a green haired man. All were advertising their magazines.

"Ms. Hasegawa...what made you want to hide such a pretty face?" Smiling brightly, Asuka faced the black-haired man that was wearing a Hawaiian styled shirt that had a blue background and orange flowers.

"Well, if I wanted to race with the boys, I had to hide my identity. No one would take me seriously if I walked up like this and said 'can I race with the professional men division?'." She made a chibi face to accent her point. The camera men and women laughed.

"Do you mind if we put you on the front cover of RaceWave Magazine?" the green haired guy asked. (AN: Completely made that name up.)

"You want to put me on the cover?!!!" She looked ecstatic.

"Why not? You're the only female so far to race in the big league and win 47 consecutive races. It would be an honor to have you on our cover."

"Of course! I would love to!" After a few more questions and photos, the group disbanded, leaving Asuka and Kyo alone. As Asuka was putting up the bike, Kyo came up and stood outside the door.

"Hey, BK...Asuka?"

"Hold on a minute Kyo...The latch jammed on the lock again." A loud clang made Kyo and the boy standing out of view on the side of the trailer wince.

"Are you ok?" Kyo got ready to hop into the trailer.

"Yes, I'm fine! It unstuck itself and I fell..." Kyo chuckled, earning an oil rag in the face. "It's not funny!" Asuka walked to the edge of the truck and hopped to the ground. A small smear of grease decorated her right cheek.

"You have guests..." Kyo said, stepping aside to reveal Seto and Mokuba Kaiba.

"Hello...So, what am I going to be doing?" Seto looked irked.

"Nothing." Asuka arched a black eyebrow.

"I'm afraid, I don't understand."

"I was under the impression that I would be working with a professional male racer, not a sly female who enjoys tricks to win." The girl looked taken aback.

"Excuse me? I won all my races fair and square! How dare you assume that I did otherwise!" Kaiba's eyes hardened as he sent her a frosty look.

"Pretending to be male to get into a race is not fair and square, as you so lightly put it." Kyo had to restrain the raven-haired woman as she lunged at Kaiba.

"I never said I was male! I didn't say who or what I was until today for this very reason!!! All you males are stupid, chauvinist pigs! You think that we females can't do anything right, well...I just kicked 30 plus guys asses at their own sport! At least they were polite about it. I bet you don't have the balls to get on one of these things and ride it at top speeds over 120 miles an hour around corners that put you parallel to the ground!!! I don't see you skidding across asphalt, leaving skin trails several feet long!!! I think that all you do is sit in an office and order other people to do your work for you!!! Good luck finding another racer out there who would like to help you!" Mokuba stood behind his brother, scared of the woman who was screaming at the top of her voice.

Almost all the bikers and their crews had stopped to watch the fight. They knew that you had to be tough to ride a bike like the ones they rode and to see a female do it, she had to have guts, especially with all the other males around her. It was interesting to see a corporate snot-nosed kid come down and try to order someone like her around. Go figure the girl was ready to kill Mr. C.E.O.

"I believe I will. Good day Miss Hasegawa." As Kaiba turned, he realized that everyone was looking at him and Asuka. He held his head up and began to leave. However, so busy was he with keeping his reputation that he didn't notice the girl worm out of Kyo's grip. Nor did he see her pelting towards him. All he felt was something collide with his back.

"You bastard!!!! How dare you just walk away." He whipped around and got smacked in the jaw by a solid right hook. He grabbed the girl's small wrist and twisted her arm behind her back, almost immobilizing her.

"You're lucky...I might not press charges."

"Do it...I dare you! You won't get a single racer to help you out." He smirked.

"I'm sure I'll find someone. How about, I let you go and you promise not to slug me again." He felt the girl drop to the ground, effectively throwing off his balance. He saw her right leg coming in for a side kick and he blocked it, throwing her to the ground and pinning her shoulders down after. He watched as her smile curled into an evil smirk. Silver-blue met navy as their eyes locked.

"I highly doubt anyone would be willing to help someone like you." Kaiba's lips curled into a dangerous sneer.

"With the amount of money I would be paying them, I am sure I could find someone adequate." Kaiba stood up and began walking away, Mokuba not far behind. Asuka stood up and dusted herself off as Kyo checked her over for injuries.

"I'm fine...just a little pissed!" Asuka flapped Kyo away and got into the truck. "Let's go home. I'm tired."

--------------------

"Why can't you work with me? I would be paying you so money isn't the problem." Seto Kaiba paced his office, cell phone in hand. Mokuba watched as yet another racer declined his offer. "I see. Very well then." He hung up the phone and sank into the chair behind his desk.

"Another one?" Kaiba rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index fingers.

"Yes. They all refuse in some way or another. I don't get it. The money I'm offering them is more than enough..."

"Maybe it's not the money they want. After all, they earn the same amount for racing and some of them are as rich as you and I." Kaiba nodded.

"Well, what do we do now? No racer is willing to work with me." Mokuba hopped up and held up a poster picture of the Black Knight racer.

"We could get Miss Hasegawa to work with us..." Before Mokuba could finish, Seto frowned deeply and answered.

"Absolutely not. Even if I agreed to ask her again, she would probably say no."

"Not if you apologize." Kaiba sent his brother a glare.

"For what?"

"For calling her a cheater and belittling her because she is female." Mokuba surprised his brother with his large vocabulary. '...Of course, he is a Kaiba after all.' Seto looked at his brother for a minute before sighing.

"Hand me the phone." Mokuba crossed his arms and shook his head.

"No, this is something you have to do in person! She'll respect you if you do it that way!" Seto's hand dropped to the desk.

"And where, may I ask, did you learn so much about girls and women?" Mokuba blushed and mumbled something about Anzu. "Very well then...we shall pay her a visit. Do you know where she lives?" Mokuba picked his head up and smiled brightly, nodding.

"Yep...It is somewhere on the edge of Tokyo. I think the place is called Crystal Falls." Seto nodded and pressed a button on his phone.

"Roland...bring the limo around front. Mokuba and I have a meeting in Crystal Falls."

"_Yes sir._"

--------------------

Kyo washed dishes as Asuka tossed laundry into the washing machine. All in all, the two made a great team, both on and off the racetrack. Soon, the chores were done and the two of them could finally relax. Kyo sat on the couch, opening his favorite game and sticking it into the disk tray of his Playstation 2. Asuka walked onto the back porch and gazed up at the full moon.

She stepped off the deck and began walking around the relatively large garden. Gardenias, roses, Queen Anne's lace, lily of the valleys, hydrangeas, and other colorful flowers decorated the walkways through the garden. She carefully examined them for bugs or fungus or disease. Ever since her mom planted the garden, she would teach Asuka and Kyo how to care for the plants. She also taught them home recipes for medicines and such. In fact, the herb garden was just off the last path to the left, leading down to a small pond/fountain.

The sudden ringing of a doorbell broke Asuka out of her reverie. She looked back up at the house and shrugged, continuing down the garden's path. As she neared the end, she heard her brother call to her, so she turned and headed back towards the house. When she opened the door, she was shocked to see Kaiba standing in the foyer near the front door. She sent him a fake smile and all but sprinted into the living room, grabbing her brother along the way.

"What is _he_ doing here?" she hissed between clenched teeth. Kyo shrugged.

"He said he came to talk to you, so I let him in." Kyo leaned in and whispered in Asuka's ear "you would be wise to not deck him. I have a feeling what he has to say is important". Asuka frumped and glared at the wall between the foyer and the living room.

"Fine, but if he belittles me again, I won't hesitate to punch him." She cracked her knuckles for emphasis. Kyo shrugged and followed his sister as she calmly walked into the foyer. As she caught sight of the younger Kaiba, she smiled brightly and squatted down to his eye level. "Hello there Mr. Kaiba." Mokuba smiled happily and waved.

"Hi Miss Hasegawa."

"My brother is making cookies, would you like to help him?" She cocked her head to the side as she waited for Mokuba's response. He jumped up and down and looked up at his brother.

"Oh can I Seto? Please?" Seto looked down at Mokuba and nodded. The younger Kaiba skittered off with Kyo, happily gibbering. Asuka stood up, laughing and shaking her head.

"I'm not so sure if that was a good idea after all." She turned and faced the Kaiba in front of her, the top of her head reached his nose so she sort of had to look up to see his face. He just looked at her with a blank expression.

"Is there somewhere a little more private that we can talk?" She nodded and headed to the back deck, intent on viewing the rest of her garden. Seto followed her, smoothly striding down the steps and onto the walkway.

"Well, speak your piece." Asuka began looking over the pink bleeding hearts that sat on the edge of the walkway. (AN: Bleeding Hearts are flowers!) She removed dead leaves and stems from the plants so that the living ones could get enough nutrients and sunlight. Kaiba watched her, a memory of his mom flashing through his mind.

"I came here to apologize for my brash behavior at the racetrack." Asuka nodded, gazing over the red roses. "I...I shouldn't have been so rude." Kaiba curled his hand into a fist. Never had he ever had to apologize for his behavior before.

"You're damn right you shouldn't have!" Asuka whirled on him, eyes hard and sharp. Kaiba glared back at her. 'How dare she! I come all this way to apologize and she snaps off on me.' About to voice his opinion, he stopped, realizing that she was his last hope of getting the game project to work. "So _Mr. Kaiba_, get along with the apology and we can both be on our way." She turned down the path leading to the fountain and herb garden.

"I'm sorry." Asuka ignored him as she gazed over her rosemary and thyme. As she made her rounds, Kaiba watched her. He was carefully waiting for the right moment to ask her to help him...again. "Miss Hasegawa, would you consider helping me with my game project?"

"Ah ha! That's why you really came! Not to apologize, but to ask for my help again. Let me guess...no rider wanted to help you, did they?" Kaiba glared at her, confirming her assumption. "So you come over to my house, saying you're here to apologize when you're really here to just ask for my help. Wonderful honesty Mr. Kaiba. I believe you said something about _females_ being the slippery sort?"

"I did not."

"Ah...but you thought it. Give me one good reason why I should work my butt off to help you!" Kaiba opened his mouth, ready to tell her about his company's issue when she interrupted him. "And it has to be for more than money." He shut his mouth with a click. "Exactly! Now, if you want my help so bad, you have to work for it."

"What are you talking about?" Asuka smiled as Kaiba became puzzled.

"Three days. You have three days to convince me to work for you on this project."

"What!? But when I first asked you, you agreed on the spot." Asuka shot him a glare.

"Yes, but that was before you pissed me off. Now, you gotta earn my work." She smirked and sat down at the fountain's edge. Moonlight reflected off the water's surface in ripples of light. Asuka watched as one of her koi fish swam to the edge and she reached down to pet it. The fish brushed her fingertips and circled around her wrist. It was much like a cat. Kaiba sat next to her, a few feet between them. He brooded silently, trying to think of a way to get her to work with him.


End file.
